Alaric handed the emblem to Reinette Tinekerr, watching as she grasped it with her mouth. He explained, "This is the emblem of the Joker Club. When the club is about to hold a gathering, the emblem will glow. If you wish to attend, simply infuse it with spirituality to activate it, and it will transport you to the gathering's location."
This was the truth. Thanks to Mr. Door's tireless efforts, although the alternate space wasn't fully constructed yet, the emblem's core functions were already in place. For now, it couldn't transport people to the alternate space, only to a fixed location.
Once Mr. Door completed the alternate space, redirecting the emblem's coordinates to it would resolve the issue. These adjustments could be handled solely by Mr. Door without modifying the emblems themselves... Mr. Door had created a central control device, essentially the master emblem, while the distributed emblems were its subsidiaries.
This was why Alaric felt confident giving the emblem to Reinette Tinekerr now.
"I understand…" "I will attend…" "the gathering."
Reinette Tinekerr's three unoccupied heads spoke in sequence.
Alaric nodded, then turned to the former Chained God, Tolzna, with a smile. "See you next time, Mr. Tolzna."
Alaric dispelled the Shadow of Time he had been maintaining, bid farewell to Reinette Tinekerr, and used his Travel ability to arrive at the Aurora Society's stronghold in Backlund.
Mr. A, who had been notified in advance, was already waiting.
"Your Excellency, here is what you requested." Mr. A said, handing Alaric an iron suitcase.
"Thank you." Alaric replied politely. He then produced another Joker Club emblem and handed it to Mr. A, saying, "This is the Joker Club's emblem. When it glows, infuse it with spirituality, and it will take you to the gathering."
"Yes, Your Excellency." Mr. A replied without hesitation, carefully stowing the emblem.
As if struck by a sudden thought, Alaric added casually, "Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos has arrived in Backlund. I want to know his whereabouts."
"Yes, Your Excellency." Mr. A responded respectfully.
…
Though Alaric had a fleeting interest in dealing with Roselle, it wasn't urgent, so he set it aside and focused on his upcoming plans.
Meanwhile, after the Tarot Gathering concluded and a few preparations were made, Klein was finally ready to submit a special request to Dunn for advancement to Sequence 8, Clown.
The response from Nighthawks headquarters arrived swiftly, addressing not only Klein's advancement but also Old Neil's situation and the verification of the mysterious Mr. Helel's identity.
In Dunn's office, Klein, Old Neil, and Leonard... who had been taking turns with Dunn to monitor Old Neil... gathered together. Dunn held the reply from headquarters.
Dunn first addressed Old Neil, the matter of greatest concern to everyone present. With a serious expression, he said, "Old Neil, headquarters has issued a reprimand for your actions…"
Old Neil gave a wry smile, unsurprised.
Klein and Leonard tensed, their hearts heavy.
Dunn recited the reprimand methodically, then suddenly smiled. "However, regarding your situation, headquarters will send someone to handle it. Don't worry... they're not here to eliminate you. It seems they have a ritual that can improve your condition."
Old Neil froze for a moment before breaking into a relieved smile.
Klein and Leonard also let out sighs of relief.
Dunn then turned to Klein. "Klein, headquarters has approved your special request. As long as you pass the evaluation from the representative they send, you can advance to Sequence 8."
Klein couldn't help but smile. He was finally going to reach Sequence 8.
With two pressing matters resolved, Klein felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He looked at Dunn and asked proactively, "Captain, what did headquarters say about Mr. Helel?"
Though Klein knew the mysterious Mr. Helel was Jack's teacher, Lucifer, he was genuinely curious about how the authorities viewed this suspected high-sequence Beyonder.
Dunn glanced at the telegraph in his hand, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before he answered, "Headquarters' stance is to 'leave Him be.' It seems… the Goddess issued an oracle."
Klein's eyes widened, and Leonard, beside him, exclaimed in disbelief, "'Him'? An angel?"
"I don't know. Headquarters didn't elaborate on Mr. Helel's identity, but since the Goddess issued an oracle, it suggests that even if he isn't part of the Church, he's likely an ally." Dunn said, shaking his head before smiling. "From that perspective, Old Neil, you're quite lucky. You may have encountered a friendly angel."
"It does seem like my luck's not bad, though that angel, well…" Old Neil trailed off, likely out of caution.
But everyone present, familiar with the events of that day, understood what he left unsaid... the angel's personality was, frankly, a bit unpleasant.
"At least He did help you." Dunn said, at a loss for better words.
The group chatted briefly before dispersing. Leonard, now off duty and no longer needing to monitor Old Neil, caught up with Klein and complained, "I can't believe you met an angel, Klein. Tell me more about Mr. Helel from that day. I'm really curious... what's the difference between an angel and an ordinary person?"
Klein glanced at him. This wasn't the first time Leonard had asked about this recently. While the questions seemed normal, Klein had a gut feeling that Leonard wasn't just curious about Mr. Helel but was probing for something specific.
Does Leonard know Helel?
Klein mused silently. Looking at Leonard, he suddenly asked, "Leonard, do you know Mr. Helel?"
"Huh?" Leonard froze, a flash of panic crossing his face before he regained his composure. "Why would you think that? I'm just curious. Aren't you curious about an angel?"
"Of course I am." Klein replied, sounding convinced but inwardly certain of his earlier suspicion.
Leonard definitely knew Helel... or at least knew of his existence.
What a coincidence… Well, I'm used to it.
***
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